Trucks to roll into Tassie ahead of event

Before the V8 Supercars are unleashed at the Tyrepower Tasmania 400, the transporters will be the starring act for tomorrow’s parade, which has a new route this year.

While the race cars are much-loved, their ‘homes’ – the team transporters – are also favourites amongst fans.

When traveling to selected circuits, 16 rigs roll through Launceston on their way to the Symmons Plains circuit – see the 14 team transporters, one Dunlop transporter and the V8 Supercars Operations transporter roll through the streets tomorrow.

“It’s awesome to be part of the parades – it’s always good to see the fans on the side of the road (and) blast the airhorns,” Triple Eight truck driver Warick Beames told v8supercars.com.au.

Beames has been with the team around five years and enjoys not just the parades, but the chance to drive the transporter to all corners of the country. “I love it… you get all these people coming along, beeping horns, waving at you or sticking their fingers up!”

Traveling roughly 50,000km across the season, the Red Bull Racing Australia transporter is 4.3 metres high, 26m long, weighs about 58 tonne (while 62.5 is the limit, the team has a couple tonne to spare), and is 540 horsepower. It’s powered by a six cylinder MAN motor, which runs fuel and Adblue to lower emissions, and has a 12-gear automatic transmission. 

Triple Eight’s A and B trailers were brand new at the beginning of 2013, and according to the team’s logistics manager David Hadfield, it feels like an office environment for the staff who work out of the truck over a race meeting.

“The A-trailer becomes a data hub – that’s where data guys and engineers sit down for debriefs,” Hadfield said. “And in the front of the B-trailer we have a dedicated drivers room for Craig and Jamie, for race gear, (it has) air con, a Red Bull fridge to keep drinks cold, and a door they can close and lock themselves away from the rest of the world. There’s a physio bed that folds down from off the wall – the team physio physically and mentally gets the boys ready to race.

“The back bench is for PR and commercial, with computer ports so everyone get on the computer network and access server from various points in the truck.”

Of course, the truck also carries all the equipment required for a race weekend – the team describes the process of fitting it all in as similar to playing Tetris.

“Every bit of space is consumed when we’re finished loading the truck to head to the next round or come through,” Hadfield said.

As a general rule, the truck needs to carry enough spare parts to rebuild both cars, so they need two of everything. However, depending on the circuit, some parts are in higher demand – usually Red Bull would take eight sets of side mirrors, but at a street circuit, that figure doubles.

“As far as bodywork goes, two of everything – except bonnets, we carry four. Two sets of doors, two sets of rear quarters, four sets of front guards, five splitters we’d normally talk with us, two boots. Lots and lots of bodywork.”

Given Triple Eight supplies some parts to customer teams like TEKNO Autosports, Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport and Brad Jones Racing, there is a need to bring even more, "They quite often do get parts off us at the track, so we take lots of stuff!”

Fortunately, both Triple Eight cars run the same livery, so there isn’t the worry of having the right colours on the right spare panels if there is body damage.

The only difference between the #1 and #888 are the side mirrors – Whincup’s are yellow and Lowndes’ red. Hadfield says it is the first time they have had a difference.

“As far as bonnets, doors, what fits on Craig’s car will fit on Jamie’s car – the stickering is exactly the same. And that makes such a massive difference in the fact that you only carry two and can do both cars, without having to do any sticker work at the track.

“I’m sure other teams have slightly different sponsors, whether they actually sticker it on the car, which increases repair time, or have to carry individual spares for each car. We have been very lucky that from Betta Electrical, to Vodafone, to Red Bull, it has been the one major sponsor on both cars.”

Tomorrow, the transporters will depart from Symmons Plains Raceway and head into Launceston via the Midland Highway, down Wellington Street, then along the East Tamar Highway before looping around at the George Town Road Turn off and heading back to where the V8 Supercars action is set to take place – Symmons Plains Raceway.

The spectacle kicks off at 3:15pm tomorrow from Symmons Plains with prime viewing at Perth, North of the Newnhan Link on the banks of the Tamar River and the Tasmania Polytechnic Alanvale Campus, along George Town Road.

Click here for more information on the Transporter Parade in Tasmania tomorrow.

In addition to the truck parade, a cocktail-style function previews the Tyrepower Tasmania 400, to raise funds for Baskerville Raceway, the country’s oldest motorsport venue.

The laid-back function will be attended by former drivers Mark Skaife and Neil Crompton, as well as current stars Jamie Whincup, Mark Winterbottom and David Reynolds.   

Fans will have the opportunity to chat to their favourites and pose for photos, while a brief Q&A will take place.

The function runs from 6pm to 7.30pm tomorrow night in Hobart, with tickets still available for fans for $150. Click here for more information.